Project Gotham Racing 2 - XB - Preview

Car racing games can be a lot of fun, but they can also be a
roller coaster ride of emotions if particularly well done.

The hairpin looms. Two cars in front nudge the brakes. There is
no room to pass, so you nudge them as well. Just as you coax the wheel into the
corner, a fourth car zooms up, slams into your right rear taillights and plants
you in the wall. Aaarrgghhh! By the time you reverse out of the wall, two other
cars have passed you and you’ve dropped from third to sixth place with half a
lap remaining.

Bizarre Creations and Microsoft Game Studios have teamed up for
Project Gotham Racing 2, an Xbox release slated for release around the holidays.
The game sports three main racing styles - kudos world series, arcade racing or
timed attack. Each of these three main style breaks down further. The idea is,
obviously enough, to win your races and advance.

You can earn kudos (the awards system) along the way to unlock
other cars and move tracks.

GameZone.com was invited to buckle in behind the wheel and take
the beta of the game out for test drive.

Project Gotham Racing 2 is a jaw-dropper graphically, with
stunning photo-realistic courses, and dynamic lighting and shadows. You will see
individual cobblestones catching the fading sunlight, feel the unevenness of
Barcelona’s aging streets, or slide recklessly on the slick pavement of
Washington, D.C.

There are 14 classes of cars, and a bonus class. From the
compact class Volkswagen New Beetle RSi, to the Mazda Miata MX-5 and BMW Z4 3.0i
in sports convertibles, to roadster class Lotus Elise, with classics offering
Datsun 240Z mixed in with Jaguars, Lancias and Ferraris, Porsches, Pontiacs and
Mustangs - there is so many different cars to choose from in this game.

Each car is lovingly rendered and handles differently - not to
mention sounds different.

If there was one drawback to this game, it did occur in the
handling. These cars do not grip overly well, and one would think that aspect
would have been addressed by the car’s owners when setting up these street
bullets for racing.

PGR2 will allow multiplayer racing and will be supported by Xbox
Live.

The points system (kudos) is rather involved. Each race type
presents a challenge and you can earn points for placing in the top 3 in a race.
But you can also earn kudos for your driving skills. Bang a wall, and you could
lose your kudos stash. Execute a perfect line through a series of corners, or
slide around a corner flawlessly and you can also earn kudos.

It is apparent that the developers paid great attention to
detail in more than just the look of the game. As you traverse these world
courses, you will be treated to regional music. Most of it is pulse-pounding
music, styled to keep the flavor of the game intact, but if you are in Hong Kong
expect to hear the local language spoken.

Some of the tracks, at this stage, were much better looking than
others, but when you have tracks brought up to the standard of the Barcelona
track, or Washington, this game will prove a great distraction for those who
like high-quality graphics. It is almost worth a slow tour of the track just to
look at this game, to see how the light and buildings are reflected off the high
sheen of the cars.

The environmental effects are rather nice as well, with skid
marks not only showing the treachery of the courses, but maybe providing a clue
as to what lays ahead and how to negotiate it.

The control elements are very simple. The gamepad control uses
the left trigger for brake, the right trigger for accelerate and the X button
for handbrake. Other controls will alter your view, or shift, if you enable the
manual transmission aspect. Each car has its own idiosyncracies and learning how
each handles is half the fun.

The other car AI seems somewhat average in the single-player
game.

Project Gotham Racing 2 is a feast for the eyes. This is a
racing game that is option rich, and a whole lot of fun to play. Damage is
realistic, and will likely have you cringing as you try to take that cutback a
little too fast and end replicating a pinball slamming (but not bouncing too
far) into the walls.

Still months from release, this game is revving up for a fast
start, and should be near the forefront of console racing fans’ wish lists for
the holidays.